FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE, THEN COMES BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE. OR AT LEAST THAT'S HOW THE STORY GOES. FOR ALEXANDER SCHMITT AND DIANE REESE, THAT STORY WAS ANYTHING BUT TRUE. FIRST CAME A HOUSE PARTY AT A UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THEN CAME A NIGHT THAT NEITHER INTENED TO REPEAT, NINE MONTHS LATER CAME A BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE. BEFORE THE BABY CAME, HOWEVER, CAME A PROPOSAL, "DATING" WHILE PLANNING A WEDDING, FINALLY CAME ANDREW IN THE BABY CARRIAGE, FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY MARRIAGE.

DESPITE BEING INCREDIBLY UNPLANNED (AND REMINDED OF IT EVERY TIME HE FUCKED UP), ANDREW GREW UP IN A LOVING HOUSEHOLD. HIS PARENTS TRIED THEIR HARDEST, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE THRYST INTO THE LIFE OF PARENTS AND HUSBAND AND WIFE WITHOUT KNOWING EACH OTHER. THEY TRIED TO KEEP THEIR FIGHTING AWAY FROM ANDREW, ESPECIALLY AS HE GOT OLDER SINCE THEY NEVER WANTED HIM TO THINK THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT THEY WERE TOGETHER, THOUGH THE SUBJECT OFTEN BECAME A JOKE AS HE BECAME A TEEEN. FOUR YEARS AFTER THEY HAD ANDREW, THE FAMILY WELCOMED THEIR SECOND SON, AARON. AND SHORTLY AFTER AARON, THEY WELCOMED THE FIFTH AND FINAL HUMAN ADDITION TO THE SCHMITT HOUSEHOLD, ALICE.

AS ANDREW GOT OLDER, HIS FATHER STARTED TO WATCH CUBS GAMES WITH HIM, LETTING HIM STAY UP PAST HIS BEDTIME WHEN IT WAS ON TV AND EVEN TAKING HIM TO SOME HOME GAMES TO GET THE "REAL EXPERIENCE." BECAUSE OF THAT, ANDREW ASKED HIS DAD TO TEACH HIM TO PLAY BASEBALL. THE NEXT DAY, ALEXANDER TOOK HIS SON TO THE SECOND HAND SPORTS STORE TO GET ANDREW A MITT AND A BAT. THAT DAY, THEY WENT OUT IN THE BACKYARD AND ANDREW DISCOVERED NOT ONLY DID HE LOVE WATCHING BASEBALL, BUT HE LOVED PLAYING IT.

OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DECADES, HIS LIFE WAS DEVOTED TO BASEBALL. LITTLE LEAGUE. JV BASEBALL. VARISTY BASEBALL. HE EVEN GOT HIMSELF A SCHOLARSHIP TO PLAY FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. AFTER TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE, HE ENTERED THE MLB GRAFT AND WAS DRAFTED BY THE ARIZONA CARDINALS. THEY SENT HIM TO PLAY IN THEIR MINOR LEAGUE COUNTERPART, KANE COUNTY COUGARS, WHICH KEPT HIM IN ILLINOIS, BRINGING HIM BACK CLOSER TO CHICAGO. HE PLAYED WITH THEM FOR FOUR YEARS BEFORE BEING TRADED TO THE CLEVELAND INDIANS COUNTERPART, THE COLUMBUS CLIPPERS. DURING HIS STINT WITH THE CLIPPERS, HE ACTUALLY PLAYED TWO GAMES FOR THE INDIANS WHEN THEIR SHORTSTOP WAS INJURED. AFTER THEIR SHORTSTOP RETURNED, ANDREW WENT BACK TO PLAY FOR THE CLIPPERS BEFORE BEING TRADED ST. LOUIS CARDINALS MILB TEAM. THAT TRADE BROUGHT HIM BACK TO ILLINOIS, THOUGH THIS TIME, TO PEORIA. HE PLAYED FOR FOUR YEARS FOR THE PEORIA CHEIFS BEFORE BEING CUT FROM THE ROSTER. HE TRIED TO SIGN WITH OTHER TEAMS BUT DUE TO HIS AGE, AND THE FACT THAT HE HAD NO MLB POTENTIAL AT THAT TIME, NO TEAM WOULD PICK HIM UP AND HE RETIRED AT THE AGE OF THIRTY.

THE DECISION TO RETIRE, DESPITE HEART BREAKING, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE NEVER GOT HIS CHANCE TO PLAY ON WRIGLEY FIELD, WAS ONE ANDREW WAS OKAY WITH SINCE HE HAD BECOME A FATHER AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-NINE. HE FELT LIKE HE MISSED A LOT OF MOMENTS BY BEING AWAY FROM CHICAGO AND WAS UP TO THE IDEA OF TRYING TO BECOME A DAD. THOUGH HE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE FAILURE TO REACH HIS LIFE'S DREAM WOULD CAUSE HIM TO GO BACK TO BEING THE STONER KID HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.